Information Technology

Video Home System.

JVC (Japan Victor Corporation) and Matsushita (Panasonic) developed the VHS format to compete with Sony which developed the Beta format as the first home video cassette recorder. VHS originally stood for Vertical Helical Scan, but now means Video Home System.

Resistor.

So named because it resists (or inhibits) the flow of current.

David Filo & Jerry Yang.

Animation/movie file.

Alan Turing.

To increase the voltage momentarily.

Flash.

It's commonly used for MP3 players, computer BIOS code and "thumb" drives. Originally developed in Japan by Toshiba, it has become quite popular for products requiring non-volatile erasable memory. Flash devices have a limited number of erase cycles (typically 10,000 to 1,000,000 cycles) so they're not as good a choice for applications in which the data changes constantly. However, since it has no moving parts (unlike a hard disk) it is an excellent choice for storing the operating code for small personal electronics like PDAs, cell phones, digital cameras, and the data in items like MP3 players.

Remote control.

Some authorities are recommending TV's, VCR's and Stereo's be connected to power strips with switches and turned off when not in use to save energy. Your remote will not work until power is switched back on.

C. 1970s

SPICE (Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis) was introduced in May 1972 by the University of Berkeley, California.

Amplitude modulation.

Amplitude modulation was the first type to be used in radio. It works well with HF and morse code.

1972

Image file.

Local Area Network

Capacitor.

Useful in tuning and filtering circuits, it blocks DC while passing AC. How much charge a capacitor can store is its capacitance, measured in farads.nn

Flyback.

The flyback is usually connected to the system that pulls the electron beam across the screen in one direction to 'paint' a line of the image and then returns in the other direction much faster.

25 thousand volts.

This voltage often remains in storage even if the set is unplugged. Although the voltage is very high it has very low power but it can be dangerous because your body jumps if brought in contact.

NTSC.

PAL and SECAM are standards used in other countries. RGB stands for red, green, and blue - the colors of light used to create an image in a color tv set and is often used as a format name for computer monitors.

System file

Database

Figure.

"Noise figure" is one critical parameter for determining the "quality" of a low-noise, small-signal, amplifier, and perhaps more importantly, the sensitivity of the overall receiver system. It is especially important for VHF (very high frequency) - and higher frequency - designs where most of the undesired "noise" (noise that masks or overpowers the desired signals) is generated internal to the electronics itself. In HF (high frequency) applications, atmospheric noise plays a much larger role in determining overall useful sensitivity, so a circuit's "noise figure" is less important.